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While there are many ways to write certain characters off the show when the actors are done playing them, there is always the most shocking and heartbreaking option of killing them off. Throughout its two-decade run, NCIS has seen many beloved characters go, as well as some deaths.

Here are 10 of the character deaths that hit viewers the hardest, no matter how big or small their role was within the show.

Ned Dorneget (Matt Jones)

There's nothing more devastating than a mother having to bury her own child, but even more terrifying is a mother having to take the investigation of her son's death into her own hands. Murdered in an explosion in Cairo after saving dozens of people, Ned was avenged by the team and his mother, CIA officer Joanna Teague.

Michelle Lee (Liza Lapira)

This character was one of the most controversial, not fitting into either the "villain" or "hero" category.

Pachinko creator Soo Hugh is expanding her relationship with the teams behind the critical darling.

Hugh has signed a multiple-year overall deal with Apple and Pachinko producers Media Res. Hugh, who was previously at Universal Content Productions, will continue to serve as showrunner on Pachinko as well as develop new projects through her Moonslinger Productions banner.

“For the last six years, I’ve been fortunate to call Apple and Media Res my creative family. Together, we dreamed big, and I am thrilled to be able to continue working with so many people I admire and cherish. Now, the homecoming is official,” Hugh said in a release announcing the news Monday.

Margo Klewans serves as president of Moonslinger Productions after following Hugh from UCP, where she oversaw programs including Joe vs. Carole, Lockerbie and the long-gestating Battlestar Galactica reboot. Klewans personally recruited Hugh to UCP and oversaw her deal as well as those of Sam Esmail,...

“If you ain’t got no money, take yo’ broke ass home!”

If the lyrics of Fergie’s chart-topping hit “Glamorous” as a fitting soundtrack don’t clue you into the aesthetics of makeup brand Tarte’s recent influencer trip, the countless videos flooding TikTok for-you-pages certainly will. Last week, Tarte sent a group of makeup, lifestyle, and fashion influencers on an all-expenses paid trip to a Four Seasons hotel on the Polynesian island of Bora Bora, where they drank, partied, and at one point, danced next to a life-sized...

Don Murray, who received an Oscar nomination for his performance opposite Marilyn Monroe in the 1956 film adaptation of William Inge’s play “Bus Stop,” has died. He was 94.

His son Christopher confirmed his death to the New York Times.

In the 2017 reboot of “Twin Peaks,” he played Bushnell Mullins, the chief executive of Lucky 7 Insurance.

Murray also starred in the fourth entry in the “Planet of the Apes” franchise, “Conquest of the Planet of the Apes”; played Brooke Shield’s father in “Endless Love”; and recurred on prime-time soap “Knots Landing” as Sid Fairgate.

Reviewing “Bus Stop,” directed by Joshua Logan, the New York Times said: “With a wondrous new actor named Don Murray playing the stupid, stubborn poke and with the clutter of broncos, blondes and busters beautifully tangled, Mr. Logan has a booming comedy going before he gets to the romance. A great deal is owed to Mr.

Katrina Kaif stars alongside Salman Khan in Yash Raj Films’ “Tiger 3,” the latest film in producer Aditya Chopra’s spy universe.

The spy universe kicked off with the Tiger franchise, starring Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif, beginning with “Ek Tha Tiger” (2012) and “Tiger Zinda Hai” (2017) and continued with “War” (2019), starring Hrithik Roshan and Tiger Shroff and “Pathaan” (2023), starring Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone. In the Tiger franchise, Salman Khan plays Avinash Singh Rathore, Aka Tiger, who belongs to Indian intelligence agency Raw and Kaif plays Zoya Humaini Rathore, an ex-agent from Pakistan’s Isi.

Variety spoke with Katrina Kaif on her role.

Variety: What was the most challenging aspect of the “Tiger 3” shoot and what was the most fun?

Katrina Kaif: Every Tiger film has taken Zoya’s character a notch above, and she has fought harder, and it has been bloodier. That’s the Usp of the character,...

Bollywood superstar Katrina Kaif, whose towel fight sequence at a hammam from ‘Tiger 3’ has caught the eye of many, spoke about how the action sequence with two women has not been shown before on screen in India.

Katrina said: “I love doing envelope-pushing, risky action sequences on screen and the Tiger franchise has always presented me with the opportunity to take things several notches higher when it comes to being a female action heroine!”

“I have lived the life of a super spy vicariously through Zoya and I love the fact that she is one hell of a fighter! She can take anyone and just like Tiger, she can also be the last person standing! That’s new and exciting for me and for the audience because they can see a woman who can fight as good as a man.”

She shared that she is aware that the towel...

Bollywood superstar Katrina Kaif, whose towel fight sequence at a hammam from ‘Tiger 3’ has caught the eye of many, spoke about how the action sequence with two women has not been shown before on screen in India.

Katrina said: “I love doing envelope-pushing, risky action sequences on screen and the Tiger franchise has always presented me with the opportunity to take things several notches higher when it comes to being a female action heroine!”

“I have lived the life of a super spy vicariously through Zoya and I love the fact that she is one hell of a fighter! She can take anyone and just like Tiger, she can also be the last person standing! That’s new and exciting for me and for the audience because they can see a woman who can fight as good as a man.”

She shared that she is aware that the towel...

Hollywood actor Michelle Lee, who specialises in shooting extreme fight sequences, will be seen doing some action with actress Katrina Kaif in the upcoming ‘Tiger 3’. Lee has acted with Scarlett Johannson in ‘Black Widow’, Johnny Depp in ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’, Brad Pitt in ‘Bullet Train’ & Tom Hardy in ‘Venom’.

Lee reveals Katrina and she had rehearsed for over two weeks before they shot the sequence at the Hammam.

She said: “I’m not surprised. I thought it was pretty epic when we were shooting it. We learned and practiced the fight for a couple weeks and then shot it. The set design was absolutely gorgeous and the fight was really fun to do. It was wonderful being on an International film.”

Lee is all praises for Katrina whose dedication towards perfecting action sequences has bowled her over.

She said: “Katrina was as graceful and professional as can be.

Hollywood actor Michelle Lee, who specialises in shooting extreme fight sequences, will be seen doing some action with actress Katrina Kaif in the upcoming ‘Tiger 3’. Lee has acted with Scarlett Johannson in ‘Black Widow’, Johnny Depp in ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’, Brad Pitt in ‘Bullet Train’ & Tom Hardy in ‘Venom’.

Lee reveals Katrina and she had rehearsed for over two weeks before they shot the sequence at the Hammam.

She said: “I’m not surprised. I thought it was pretty epic when we were shooting it. We learned and practiced the fight for a couple weeks and then shot it. The set design was absolutely gorgeous and the fight was really fun to do. It was wonderful being on an International film.”

Lee is all praises for Katrina whose dedication towards perfecting action sequences has bowled her over.

She said: “Katrina was as graceful and professional as can be.

The annual Women in Film (Wif) Honors have unveiled its 2023 recipients.

This year’s awards, which celebrate the 50th anniversary of the organization, will honor “Flamin’ Hot” producers Eva Longoria and Linda Yvette Chávez with the Crystal Award for Advocacy, as well as “Past Lives” filmmaker Celine Song and actress Greta Lee. The coveted Jane Fonda Humanitarian Award will go to “Barbie” actress America Ferrera, with Fonda presenting the award in-person.

“Grown-ish” actress Yara Shahidi has been named the recipient of the Wif Max Mara Face of the Future Award, as previously announced.

The awards will take place November 30 in Los Angeles, with proceeds benefitting the educational and philanthropic programs at Wif as well as the advocacy for gender parity throughout the entertainment industry.

Per the official press statement, the Crystal Award for Advocacy honors outstanding individuals and groups of women who are creating increased opportunities for the advancement of...

America Ferrera, Eva Longoria, Greta Lee, Yara Shahidi, Celine Song and Linda Yvette Chávez will be feted at the 2023 Wif Honors.

The annual benefit will be held on Thursday, Nov. 30, in Los Angeles, as Wif, celebrates 50 years of working for gender equity in Hollywood. There, Jane Fonda will present Ferrera with the Jane Fonda Humanitarian Award, while the filmmaking duos of Longoria and Chávez (“Flamin’ Hot”) and Lee and Song (“Past Lives”) accept the Crystal Award for Advocacy. Shahidi is set to be honored with the Max Mara Face of the Future Award.

“The work of this year’s honorees exemplifies outstanding creative vision and the change Wif has worked to create in its 50 years as an organization,” said Wif Honors committee co-chairs Monica Levinson and Talitha Watkins. “Our industry is better because of these women and their commitment to spurring lasting impact in Hollywood, both in front of and behind the scenes.

It takes a lot of sacrifice to become a Jedi Knight. You must train in the ways of the Force and be a model guardian for justice. Most importantly, a major tenet of the Jedi Order is to pass down all that you have learned to the next generation. The rule of master and apprentice is the key building block that keeps the foundation of the Jedi Temple from falling down on top of Jocasta Nu's head. There is also the art of learning how to design and wield your very own lightsaber. 

Obi-Wan learned from Qui-Gon, Ahsoka learned from Anakin, Luke learned from old Ben Kenobi and Yoda. And Luke told Rey to leave him alone. But wannabe Force users learned how to use their lightsaber from another teacher: Mavra Zane. If you were a "Star Wars" fan and a nimble gamer during the spring of 2012, chances are you...

Before Liza Lapira played a badass on The Equalizer alongside Queen Latifah and Adam Goldberg, she was on CBS on another procedural drama (which is still on): NCIS. And she had quite the memorable arc and ending there. In NCIS Seasons 4 and 6, Lapira played Michelle Lee, a lawyer who was briefly on Gibbs’ (Mark Harmon) team after Vance (Rocky Carroll) split everyone up following Jenny’s (Lauren Holly) death and was trying to identify a mole within the agency. As was revealed, Michelle was the mole (though she framed one of her fellow agents), but she’d done what she did to save her sister. She later told Gibbs to shoot her to take out the person responsible, using her as a shield. “It was great to have that twist. It was a surprise because I had just been written to be the lawyer. I was with the team for a tiny bit,...

There will be no third season of Blood & Treasure.

The treasure-hunting drama has been canceled after two seasons, according to TV Line.

No reason has been given for the cancellation, but the writing was on the wall when the show was renewed in 2019 while the first season was airing, and then the show disappeared.

It started its life on CBS, but it was announced in 2022 that the series would return with its long-delayed second season that year.

Given the length of time between seasons, many assumed the show was dead.

Fueling the rumors that the show was dead even more was that the cast moved on to other projects.

Co-creator Matthew Federman wrote the following on Twitter on the day of the Season 2 finale airing.

"I don't know what the future holds but I'm very proud of what we got to do with this show, shooting our little action...

Mayu Nakamura directed 2021 Tokyo International Film Festival’s Nippon Cinema Now selection.

LA-based Est Studios has boarded worldwide sales rights excluding Japan to the Tokyo-set psychological thriller Intimate Stranger and is in talks with buyers at AFM.

Mayu Nakamura directed the 2021 Tokyo International Film Festival’s Nippon Cinema Now selection starring Asuka Kurosawa and rising talent Fuju Kamio.

Intimate Stranger takes place in a post-Covid Tokyo and follows a woman searching for her missing teenage son who is approached by a shady young man claiming to know his whereabouts. Over time the strangers entrap each other with deception. Tetsujiro Yamagami served as producer.

Talks ongoing this week on Warning From Hell, Takut Ke Tak.

Los Angeles-based finance, production and sales outfit Est Studios has announced a partnership with Malaysia’s Jazzy Pictures to represent a pair of horror titles and is launcing sales at AFM this week.

Under the deal Est can sell exclusively to North America. and to other international territories outside Malaysia and Singapore on a non-exclusive basis.

The first title in the partnership is Warning From Hell (pictured) which received its world premiere at Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival in July and screened at London East Asian Film Festival this month.

Blood & Treasure Season 2 is available now on DVD and Blu-ray.

To celebrate, TV Fanatic scored an exclusive look at the gag reel, which showcases some of the most comical outtakes from filming.

Blood & Treasure may be an adventure series, but it has always been fun to watch, and it looks like the cast and crew had a lot of fun while bringing Blood & Treasure Season 2 to life.

From pulling funny faces, to cracking witty one-liners while the cameras are rolling, the clip is a lot of fun.

It highlights the impressive special features offered to fans that purchase the DVD or Blu-ray set.

Blood & Treasure is a globe-trotting action-adventure drama about a brilliant antiquities expert and a cunning art thief who team up to catch a ruthless terrorist who funds his attacks through stolen treasure.

Danny McNamara (Matt Barr) is a former FBI agent specializing in stolen arts and antiquities.

Est Studios, the film company established this year by 88Rising co-founder Jaeson Ma and former Vice Media executive Eric Tu, has struck a partnership arrangement with China’s Hugoeast Media.

The partnership is looking at an initial slate of eight projects, with Est Studios representing sales at the major film markets including the upcoming Asian Contents and Film Market and Asian Project Market at the Busan International Film Festival.

Est will be the exclusive representative for Hugoeast’s titles in North America. In other territories (outside of China) it will handle them on a non-exclusive basis.

The first title on the sales slate is “B For Busy,” which will have its international premiere in Busan on Oct. 6, 2022, as part of the A Window on Asian Cinema section. Written and directed by Shao Yihui, the film (previously called “Myth of Love”) is a comedy set in Shanghai about three middle-aged divorcees...

Wif has announced the honorees for the 2022 Wif Honors that will be held on Thursday, October 27 at The Beverly Hilton.

The annual benefit supports Wif’s educational and philanthropic programs and its advocacy for gender parity throughout the industry. This year’s Wif Honors will celebrate the women who are forging forward: laying the foundation to transform Hollywood for the better, with their ingenuity, vision, and persistence. To find out more about the event, visit www.wif.org/honors.

The iconic Crystal Award for Advocacy will be presented to:

Quinta Brunson for “Abbott Elementary” (in conversation with Sheryl Lee Ralph)

Gina Prince-bythewood for “The Woman King” (presented by Viola Davis)

Katie Silberman and Olivia Wilde in conversation about “Don’t Worry Darling”

The Jane Fonda Humanitarian Award will be presented by Jane Fonda to:

Michaela Coel

The Crystal Award for Advocacy honors outstanding individuals and groups of women who are creating...

Click here to read the full article.

Women in Film, Los Angeles has announced 2022’s honorees for its annual gala, this year celebrating Quinta Brunson, The Woman King director Gina Prince-Bythewood and Don’t Worry Darling director Olivia Wilde and writer Katie Silberman.

The Wif Honors, which will take place on Oct. 27 at the Beverly Hilton, will see the Crystal Award for Advocacy presented to all of the honorees, and feature Brunson in conversation with Abbott Elementary co-star Sheryl Lee Ralph, Prince-Bythewood presented by Viola Davis and Wilde and Silberman in a sit-down chat. The Jane Fonda Humanitarian Award, which debuted last year and was named for its inaugural recipient, will be presented by Fonda to Michaela Coel.

“In a year where the impact of regressive trends is being felt by entertainment industry workers

and people throughout our nation, Wif is honoring women who embody the tenacity it takes to

forge forward—in our careers,...

Michael Mann’s Ferrari, Neil Burger’s The Marsh King’s Daughter among films in STX pipeline.

STX and Lionsgate are understood to be exploring an alliance whereby Lionsgate will handle distribution on STX’s upcoming pipeline of theatrical releases.

The development comes after it emerged this week that Adam Fogelson is departing STX as chairman of the motion picture group and starting at Lionsgate on September 1 as vice-chair of the studio’s motion picture group.

STX’s upcoming slate includes sequel Greenland Migration, Michael Mann’s Ferrari, and Neil Burger’s The Marsh King’s Daughter.

Lionsgate had been linked to...

Last week, Wif celebrated outstanding women who are transforming the entertainment industry for the better with the 2021 Wif Honors: Trailblazers of the New Normal supported by sponsor Max Mara for the 18th year, alongside Visionary Partners ShivHans Pictures and Lexus.

Jane Fonda accepts the Jane Fonda Humanitarian Award

Credit/Copyright: Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for Women In Film

The annual benefit supports Wif’s educational and philanthropic programs and its advocacy for gender parity for women throughout the industry. The evening, hosted by comedian Jenny Yang, was held at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles.

This year’s Wif Honors acknowledged the transformative work that it takes to make the entertainment industry more inclusive and equitable, celebrating the collective efforts that this year’s honorees have made to improve our world and our business. The 2021 Wif Honors: Trailblazers of the New Normal honored Jane Fonda with the...

Wif announced today the honorees for the 2021 Wif Honors that will be held on Wednesday, October 6 at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles.

Formerly named the Crystal + Lucy Awards®, the annual benefit supports Wif’s educational and philanthropic programs and its advocacy for gender parity for women throughout the industry. This is the first time the organization has been able to hold its fundraising celebration since 2019, due to the pandemic.

This year’s Wif Honors will celebrate the women who are transforming the industry for the better, with innovative reimaginings of how the workplace can be set up for women to support women with compassion, care, and a renewed commitment to equity across intersectional identities. The iconic Crystal Award will be presented to the following pairs of collaborators:

Marlee Matlin and SIÂN Heder

Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder

Zendaya and Ashley Levinson

Marlee Matlin and Sian Heder...

Ahead of Physical‘s Season 1 finale Friday on Apple TV+, the half-hour dramedy from Annie Weisman has been renewed for Season 2.

Rose Byrne stars as Sheila, a woman in the early 1980s who is struggling with bulimia but begins to ascend from housewife to aerobics video star in the face of her husband’s run for a local political office in San Diego. The series tracks her epic journey from a stifled, overlooked enabler to a powerful, confident economic force as Sheila transforms into someone we take for granted today but was entirely radical at the time — the female lifestyle guru.

In Friday’s finale, titled “Let’s Get Together,” Sheila entertains an intriguing proposition while her business associate Bunny’s (Della Saba)finances and Tyler’s (Lou Taylor Pucci) health come to a head.

Rory Scovel, Dierdre Friel, Paul Sparks and Ashley Liao also star.

Cancellations/Renewals Scorecard: TV...

“Physical” has been renewed for Season 2 at Apple, Variety has learned.

The Season 1 finale of the dark comedy is set to drop this Friday. Set in the idyllic but fragile beach paradise of sunny 1980s San Diego, “Physical” follows Sheila Rubin (Rose Byrne), a quietly tortured, seemingly dutiful housewife supporting her smart but controversial husband’s bid for state assembly. But behind closed doors, Sheila has her own darkly funny take on life she rarely lets the world see. She’s also battling a complex set of personal demons relating to her self-image. That is, until she finds release through the unlikeliest source: the world of aerobics.

In addition to Byrne, “Physical” stars Rory Scovel, Dierdre Friel, Della Saba, Lou Taylor Pucci, Paul Sparks, Ashley Liao and Geoffrey Arend.

“We couldn’t be more proud to showcase Annie Weisman’s singular take on this darkly funny, heartbreaking and bold story,...

Apple TV+ has signed up for another round of Sheila Rubin’s rousing aerobics classes, by renewing the darkly comedic, 1980s-set Physical for a second season.

TVLine’s hand-crafted Streaming Renewal Scorecard has thusly been updated.

More from TVLinePerformer of the Week (6/26): Rose ByrnePhysical Finale Sneak Peek: Can Sheila Give Danny's Campaign Some Heat?Little Voice Cancelled at Apple TV+

Created by Annie Weisman (Suburgatory, Desperate Housewives), Physical stars Rose Byrne (Damages) as the aforementioned Sheila, a housewife in 1980s San Diego who juggles her under-appreciated oversight of husband Danny’s (Superstore‘s Rory Scovel) bid for state assembly with her own,...

Ahead of this week’s finale, Apple TV+ has renewed the Rose Byrne-starring comedy “Physical” for a second season. Additionally, creator Annie Weisman has signed an overall deal with Apple TV+.

Set in the idyllic but fragile beach paradise of sunny 1980s San Diego, “Physical” is a half-hour dark comedy following Sheila Rubin (Byrne), a quietly tortured, seemingly dutiful housewife supporting her smart but controversial husband’s bid for state assembly. But behind closed doors, Sheila has her own darkly funny take on life she rarely lets the world see. She’s also battling a complex set of personal demons relating to her self-image…. that is, until she finds release through the unlikeliest source: the world of aerobics.

In addition to Byrne, “Physical” stars Rory Scovel, Dierdre Friel, Della Saba, Lou Taylor Pucci, Paul Sparks, Ashley Liao and Geoffrey Arend.

“Physical” is produced for Apple TV+ by Tomorrow Studios (an ITV Studios partnership). Created,...

Apple is going to get Physical again.

The tech giant and streamer has handed out a second season renewal for its Rose Byrne-led dramedy Physical. The announcement comes days before the first season of the series from showrunner Annie Weisman will wrap its freshman run.

“We couldn’t be more proud to showcase Annie Weisman’s singular take on this darkly funny, heartbreaking and bold story,” said Michelle Lee, director of domestic programming at Apple TV+. “And then we got to watch Rose Byrne inhabit this incredible, multilayered character, giving us an unforgettable tour de force performance. We have been thrilled to see ...

Apple is going to get Physical again.

The tech giant and streamer has handed out a second season renewal for its Rose Byrne-led dramedy Physical. The announcement comes days before the first season of the series from showrunner Annie Weisman will wrap its freshman run.

“We couldn’t be more proud to showcase Annie Weisman’s singular take on this darkly funny, heartbreaking and bold story,” said Michelle Lee, director of domestic programming at Apple TV+. “And then we got to watch Rose Byrne inhabit this incredible, multilayered character, giving us an unforgettable tour de force performance. We have been thrilled to see ...

Netflix has debuted a full-length trailer for their upcoming emotional space drama ‘Away’ featuring Hilary Swank.

As American astronaut Emma Green (Hilary Swank) prepares to lead an international crew on the first mission to Mars, she must reconcile her decision to leave behind her husband (Josh Charles) and teenage daughter (Talitha Bateman) when they need her the most. As the crew’s journey into space intensifies, their personal dynamics and the effects of being away from their loved ones back on Earth become increasingly complex.

Created by Andrew Hinderaker, the series is executive produced by showrunner Jessica Goldberg, Matt Reeves, Jason Katims, Edward Zwick, Hilary Swank, Adam Kassan, Andrew Hinderaker, Jeni Mulein and Michelle Lee.

Also in trailers – Letitia Wright stars in first look trailer for Steve McQueen’s ‘Small Axe’

The series premieres on Netflix September 4th.

The post Hilary Swank dreams of beyond the stars in new trailer...

"We have to go back to where it all started... So they never do that to anyone again." Disney + Marvel have released one more official trailer for the upcoming Black Widow movie, still set to kick off the summer on May 1st coming up. It looks like they're sticking with this release date despite delays to other big Hollywood releases. This new stand-alone solo movie is directed by Australian filmmaker Cate Shortland, and is set between the Civil War and Infinity War movies. Romanoff must deal with her history as a spy and the broken relationships left in her wake long before she became an Avenger. Scarlett Johansson stars as Natasha Romanoff, returning from the previous Marvel movies. The cast also includes Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, Rachel Weisz as Melina Vostokoff, David Harbour as Red Guardian, plus William Hurt, Ray Winstone, O-t Fagbenle, and Michelle Lee. This final trailer...

Josh Charles has joined the cast of “Away,” Netflix’s upcoming astronaut drama series, the streamer announced on Wednesday.

The “Good Wife” alum will star opposite Hilary Swank in the series, which centers on an American astronaut who must leave her husband and teenage daughter behind to command an international space crew embarking upon a treacherous mission to Mars.

Charles will play Matt Logan, a Nasa engineer whose wife (Swank) is commanding the first mission to Mars. Netflix describes it as “He faces the already enormous challenges of dealing with the mission from home while trying to raise their teenage daughter on his own, but when he goes through a life-altering experience in the first episode he will understand the true cost of what it means to be away from each other.”

Also Read: Netflix Orders Variety Sketch Series 'Astronomy Club' From Kenya Barris

Loosely inspired by a 2014 Esquire article by Chris Jones,...

Good Wife vet Josh Charles is set to play the good husband opposite Hilary Swank’s A-list astronaut in Netflix’s forthcoming drama series Away, TVLine has learned.

Away centers on Swank’s Emma Logan, an American astronaut who must leave her Nasa engineer husband (played by Charles) and teenage daughter behind to command an international space crew embarking upon a treacherous mission to Mars. Charles’ character, Matt Logan, undergoes a life-altering experience in the first episode that will drive home the true cost of what it means to be away from his wife.

More from TVLineJulianna Margulies on Nixed...

The Good Wife alum Josh Charles is set as the male lead opposite Hilary Swank in Netflix’s 10-episode drama series Away, from playwright Andrew Hinderaker, Jason Katims and Matt Reeves.

Written by Hinderaker, the series, loosely inspired by Chris Jones’ Esquire article of the same name, hails from Katims’ True Jack Prods., Reeves’ 6th & Idaho and Universal Television. It centers on Emma Logan (Swank), an American astronaut who must leave her husband Matt (Charles) and teenage daughter behind to command an international space crew embarking upon a treacherous mission. It is a series about hope, humanity and how we need one another if we are to achieve impossible things.

Charles’ Logan is a Nasa engineer whose wife is commanding the first mission to Mars. He faces the already enormous challenges of dealing with the mission from home, while trying to raise their teenage daughter on his own, but when...

Bryan Brown and Clare Bowen.

After appearing in all six seasons of Us musical drama Nashville, Clare Bowen has returned to Australia to star alongside Bryan Brown in Sbs’s Hungry Ghosts.

Matchbox Pictures’ four-part character-driven ghost story based on an original idea by Timothy Hobart explores three generations of Vietnamese Australian families, all haunted by the traumatic events of war.

Four weeks into a seven week shoot, the Shawn Seet-directed series opens on the eve of the Hungry Ghost Festival in Melbourne when a vengeful spirit is unleashed, wreaking havoc across the Vietnamese Australian community.

The large ensemble cast also features Catherine Davies, Justine Clarke, Ryan Corr, Ferdinand Hoang, Gareth Yuen, Jillian Nguyen, Hoa Xuande, Suzy Wrong, Gary Sweet and Susie Porter.

Brown plays Neil Stockton, a photographer famous for his collection of Vietnam War photographs which are featured in an exhibition that has ripple effects.

Bowen, who...

The Asian American and black communities are coming together for the interracial Ya romance The Sun Is Also a Star.

#GoldOpen, the movement to support Asian American films by buying out theaters opening weekend, is expanding to give a boost to MGM and Warner Bros.' upcoming release, which stars Yara Shahidi and Riverdale's Charles Melton as a pair of high schoolers who fall in love over the course of a day. Dubbed #BlackAndGoldOpen, the initial round of buyers includes YouTube founder Steve Chen, fashion designer Prabal Gurung, Allure editor-in-chief Michelle Lee, Deutsche Bank managing director Yao King and EatNomz....

The Asian American and black communities are coming together for the interracial Ya romance The Sun Is Also a Star.

#GoldOpen, the movement to support Asian American films by buying out theaters opening weekend, is expanding to give a boost to MGM and Warner Bros.' upcoming release, which stars Yara Shahidi and Riverdale's Charles Melton as a pair of high schoolers who fall in love over the course of a day. Dubbed #BlackAndGoldOpen, the initial round of buyers includes YouTube founder Steve Chen, fashion designer Prabal Gurung, Allure editor-in-chief Michelle Lee, Deutsche Bank managing director Yao King and EatNomz....

May marks the start of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month and there is no better way to celebrate it than by giving shine to the most influential Asians and Asian American & Pacific Islanders and their accomplishments. The Asian American and Pacific Islander (Aapi) collective Gold House, the group that launched the #GoldOpen campaign, have unveiled its second annual A100 List, which champions trailblazing members of the Aapi community and the transformative contributions to entertainment, fashion, lifestyle, technology, business, social activism and politics from the past year.

Among the honorees on the film and TV side are Golden Globe-winning Killing Eve actress Sandra Oh, comedian and Patriot Act host Hasan Minhaj as well as Crazy Rich Asians‘ Awkwafina and Jon M. Chu. Emmy winning The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story actor Darren Criss also made the list along with master of tidying up and TV show host Marie Kondo...

‘Playing for Keeps’ (Season 1).

Film Victoria has announced $2 million in production funding across 11 film, television and online projects, including Matchbox Pictures’ upcoming Sbs series Hungry Ghosts.

The agency has also backed second seasons of Screentime’s Playing For Keeps for 10, Wtfn children’s series Larry the Wonderpup, and Ruby Entertainment/Robot Army comedy Rostered On, both for Seven.

Matchbox’s Hungry Ghosts is a four-part series which centres on three generations of Vietnamese Australian families touched by the effects of war. When a powerful amulet is broken on the eve of the Hungry Ghost Festival in Melbourne, a vengeful spirit is unleashed, bringing the dead with him. Shawn Seet will direct, Stephen Corvini is producing and the writers are Timothy Hobart, Michelle Lee, Alan Nguyen, Jeremy Nguyen and John Ridley.

Film Victoria has also invested in two fiction features, including Good Things Productions’ Below, which recently wrapped production in Western Australia.

Amazon has ordered an autism-themed “comedic drama” pilot from “Parenthood” creator Jason Katims, based on the Israeli series “On the Spectrum.”

Per its logline, “On the Spectrum” is a coming-of-age comedic drama about three 20-something roommates on the autism spectrum, striving for the same things that we all desire: To get a job, keep a job, make friends, fall in love, and navigate a world that eludes them. The originals series was created by Dana Idisis and Yuval Shafferman.

The project is from from Universal TV under Katims’ prior deal with his former longtime studio — in January, he signed an overall deal with Apple — as well as yesStudios, which developed the original series. Katims will write and executive produce with Jeni Mulein and yesStudios’ Danna Stern.

The executive producers of the original “On the Spectrum” series are Stern,...

Jason Katims is leaving his longtime home at Universal TV for a new overall deal with Apple.

The “Parenthood” and “Friday Night Lights” creator will move his company, True Jack Productions, over to Apple this summer after the conclusion of his current deal with Universal. Katims will remain actively involved in the projects he currently has set up through the studio, including the previously announced “Away,” which has a 1o-episode order at Netflix, and “Sisters,” which is in development at Fox.

The move to Apple reunites Katims with his former head of development, Michelle Lee, who is part of Apple’s creative development team, which is led by Matt Cherniss.

Also Read: Jason Katims Mars Mission Drama 'Away' Ordered to Series at Netflix

Katims, who during his time with Universal TV created some of broadcast TV’s most critically-beloved series including “Parenthood” and “Friday Night Lights,” is the latest major...

Emmy and Peabody Award-winning television creator/showrunner Jason Katims is leaving his long-time studio home at Universal Television for a rich multi-year pact with Apple.

Under the exclusive overall production and development deal, which will start in the summer when Katims’ current Uni TV deal comes to an end, he will develop and executive new series through his company, True Jack Prods.

Apple, along with Netflix and Amazon, have been aggressive in pursuing top showrunner talent with big overall deals.

Katims had been at Universal TV for more than a dozen years, executive producing/showrunning Friday Night Lights and developing, executive producing and showrunning another praised drama series, Parenthood.

In 2012, Katims turned his True Jack Prods. into a pod based at Universal TV and brought in Michelle Lee as head of television. For the following four years, True Jack generated five TV series, About a Boy...

Summer move for Katims’ True Jack Productions after Universal Television deal expires.

Another behind-the-scenes name from the traditional Us television industry is moving into the streaming world, with Apple signing Emmy-winning Friday Night Lights showrunner Jason Katims to an exclusive, overall production and development deal.

Katims’ True Jack Productions company will move to Apple this summer after its long-standing overall deal with Universal Television expires. Katims will remain actively involved in projects he currently has set up at Universal, including Away, his sci-fi series for Netflix about the first human mission to Mars, and Sisters, his Fox network pilot based...

Jacki Weaver.

Comedy feature The Chain Breakers, to star Jacki Weaver, Jack Thompson, James Cromwell, Denis Waterman and Shane Jacobson, is one of seven projects to have recently received production funding from Screen Australia.

Written by Luke Preston and directed by Mark Lamprell, the film follows four Vietnam vets, famous for escaping a Pow camp, who find themselves in a new hell: The Hogan Hills Retirement Home for Returned Veterans. Each has an unrealised dream they want achieve, and so they band together to escape again. Produced by Antony I. Ginnane and David Lightfoot, the film is billed as a cross between Grumpy Old Men and The Great Escape. It will be distributed via R & R Films, the new venture between Richard Becker and Robert Slaviero.

Among the other projects to have shared in the $7.5 million of funding from the federal agency is Lone Wolf, writer-director Jonathan Ogilvie’s...

Stars: Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, Riz Ahmed, Jenny Slate, Reed Scott, Scott Haze, Michelle Lee | Written by Scott Rosenberg, Jeff Pinkner, Kelly Marcel, Will Beall | Directed by Ruben Fleischer

Tom Hardy co-stars with some black CGI goo in Venom, Sony’s stab at a Spider-Man spin-off, after handing the rights to the wall-crawler himself back to Marvel. Wildly uneven and riddled with inconsistencies, the film is an unholy mess, but it’s also not without entertainment value, even if you’re frequently laughing at it, not with it.

Re-jigging the basic origin story (you may remember Venom as one of the villains from Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 3), the film stars Hardy as investigative journalist Eddie Brock, who loses both his job and his lawyer girlfriend Anne (Michelle Williams) after an attempt to expose billionaire scientist Carlton Drake (Riz Ahmed) doesn’t go as planned. Tipped off by a concerned...

"Humans are disposable... But man and symbiote combined - this is the new race." Whoa!! Sony Pictures has debuted a third official trailer for the Venom movie, following its premiere inside of Hall H at the San Diego Comic-Con. The second teaser trailer was great, but this is even better - and it runs a full 3 minutes. Tom Hardy is journalist Eddie Brock in this anti-hero thriller, directed by Ruben Fleischer. This looks like it might be the movie fans of the dark symbiote have been waiting for. The cast includes Michelle Williams, Jenny Slate, Riz Ahmed, Woody Harrelson, Michelle Lee, Sailor Larocque, Reid Scott, and a rumored appearance by Tom Holland as Spidey. Okay, this finally looks awesome. Really, really into this - the VFX are looking solid, and it looks extra dark. Here's the third official trailer (+ Japanese poster) for Ruben Fleischer's Venom, from Sony's YouTube: You...

Layne Eskridge is joining Apple as a Creative Executive. She comes from rival streaming service Netflix where she was a development executive.

At Apple, Eskridge will report to Matt Cherniss, Head of Development for Worldwide Video. Eskridge will start her new role next month, joining Apple’s team of creative executives that includes Michelle Lee, Dana Tuinier, Ali Woodruff and Max Aronson.

As a development executive at Netflix, Eskridge oversaw production of Ozark, Spike Lee’s She’s Gotta Have It, Seven Seconds, Longmire, as well as the upcoming Top Boy, executive produced by Drake and Lebron James’ SpringHill Entertainment, and Ava Duvernay’s Central Park 5.

Before joining Netflix in early 2016, Eskridge was an executive at Ellen DeGeneres’ company A Very Good Production where she developed One Big Happy and Little Big Shots. Before that, she was member of the Universal Cable Productions programming team where she oversaw development for...

Netflix just picked up an out-of-this-world project from “Friday Night Lights” and “Parenthood” creator Jason Katims, playwright Andrew Hinderaker and “Felicity” creator Matt Reeves.

The streaming service has placed a 10-episode series order for the trio’s space drama “Away,” loosely inspired by Chris Jones’ Esquire article of the same name, a person with knowledge of production tells TheWrap.

According to the logline, the show is an epic love story and a thrilling tale of survival set against humanity’s greatest endeavor — the first human mission to Mars. The plot centers around Emma Green, an American astronaut who must leave her husband and teenage daughter behind in order to command an international space crew embarking upon a treacherous, year-long mission.

Also Read: See Dorky Josh Groban and 'Dad' Tony Danza in First Look at Netflix's 'The Good Cop' (Video)

Katims executive produces and penned the script with co-executive producer Hinderaker.

Netflix has ordered a drama series about humanity’s attempt to reach Mars, Variety has learned.

Loosely inspired by Chris Jones’ Esquire article “Away,” the series is described as an epic love story and a thrilling tale of survival set against humanity’s greatest endeavor: the first human mission to Mars. Emma Green is an American astronaut who must leave her husband and teenage daughter behind in order to command an international space crew embarking upon a treacherous, year-long mission. Netflix has ordered a 10 episode first season.

“Away” hails from writers Jason Katims and Andrew Hinderaker. Katims will also executive produce with Hinderaker co-executive producing. Matt Reeves will executive produce via his 6th & Idaho banner, which is currently set up under a first-look deal at Netflix. Negotiations are currently underway to secure a showrunner.

6th & Idaho’s Adam Kassan will also executive produce. Michelle Lee will serve as executive producer on episode one,...

Netflix has given a formal 10-episode series order to Away, a drama series from playwright Andrew Hinderaker, Jason Katims and Matt Reeves.

Written by Hinderaker, the series, loosely inspired by Chris Jones’ Esquire article of the same name, hails from Katims’ True Jack Prods., Reeves’ 6th & Idaho and Universal TV where True Jack is based. It is described as an epic love story and a thrilling tale of survival set against humanity’s greatest endeavor – the first human mission to Mars.

Away centers on Emma Green, an American astronaut who must leave her husband and teenage daughter behind in order to command an international space crew embarking upon a treacherous, year-long mission. It is a series about hope, humanity and how ultimately, we need one another if we are to achieve impossible things.

Katims will be a writing...